The Stars Align
by kaitlin360
Summary: What if things had ended differently that night on George's boat when Zoe came to visit after Tansy had left him?
1. Two Years in the Making

So, I'm not really sure how many reads Hart of Dixie gets on here, but I personally love the show, so if you like the show and enjoy my story, please let me know. Favorite, comment, message me, and please keep reading. Hope you all enjoy, and I'm always open to suggestions. This story starts during the season finale of season 2, when Zoe went to see George on his boat, but with a slightly different ending to the night...

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><p>"We've never even been on a real date before!" George yelled. Zoe could hardly hold eye contact anymore. "Zoe Hart, ever since you came to town, you've screwed up my love life time and time again. You had your opportunity. I gave you plenty of time, but of course, that wasn't enough for you, Zoe Hart, was it?"<p>

"I know, I know. And I'm so sorry for everything I've done. I came here to apologize for everything. And I wanted to let you know that Wade, what you saw, that was nothing. I was upset, and I wasn't in my right mind."

George just sighed. "Do you think sorry is just going to fix everything, Zoe? Saying you weren't in your right mind isn't going to work on me. Sorry, but I've heard that one before."

"I don't think it's going to fix anything. I just…"

"Lately, it seems like you're so preoccupied with your own love life, you've disregarded everyone and everything else going on around you. You're not the only one with feelings around here!"

"I know, George. I wasn't even thinking when I came over the other night. I can't believe I put all of that on your chest. Your break up with Tansy was completely my fault, and I'm so sorry. I can talk to her. I'll find her and fix things for you."

"You only seem to want me when I'm totally and completely unavailable. Well do you want me now?"

Zoe finally made eye contact. George was red in the face and seemed a bit exasperated. "What?" she asked, in disbelief of what _he_ seemed to be asking _her_. It was like he had flipped from being angry to wanting to be with her with the snap of the fingers.

George paced back and forth on the boat, running his hand through his hair. He looked regretful that he'd said anything at all. He stopped after a moment and brought his eyes back to Zoe's. "I asked if you want me now. Huh? Now that I'm finally single, I've finally had a real relationship that I tried at, and it failed now thanks to you. So now that I'm available, do you want me?" George's voice was still slightly raised, but he was serious. Zoe could tell he wasn't asking out of anger anymore, but genuinely asking.

Zoe uttered that one little word that made the biggest difference, "Yes." Before she knew what was happening, George's lips were pressed against hers, his hands holding her face. It took her a moment to react, but when she realized what was happening was real, she kissed him back.

After a couple of minutes, the two finally broke apart, but not far. "George…" but beyond that, Zoe was at a loss of words. She was still taking in what was happening, taking deep breaths and trying to string a coherent sentence together. "George…I…what…I thought you were mad at me?"

George's hands dropped from Zoe's face down to her hands and held them tight. "Zoe, I practically fell in love with you the moment I saw you walking into town. I remember that day like it was yesterday. The way things have gone with us so far, are they ideal? No, not at all. But right now, I'm single, you're single, and I think maybe it's the stars finally aligning. You said it yourself, we do our own thing for a while, and when the time is right, it will happen. Before you showed up here, I was ready to completely tear into you. I was mad. You ruined something that was great for me, with someone I saw myself being with. But I've seen myself with you for longer. And I still do."

"I think you still did that a little, tear into me," Zoe said, holding up her thumb and forefinger an inch apart.

"Sorry about that. That's not the point. I was so ready to tell you off and ask to never see you again, but I think we owe it to ourselves to give this a shot. I want to be mad, I do. You've ruined the two most successful relationships I've had. But I can't ignore these feelings I have for you, and although you seem to have awful timing, you can't ignore yours either."

Zoe looked up into George's eyes. She was still, just speechless. "So you're not mad about Wade?"

George closed his eyes, as if it was a huge blow for her to even mention Wade's name. "I believe that people make mistakes Zoe. You've made a lot, but if you can honestly tell me that it's over with him, then I'll believe you." Zoe stifled a nervous laugh, not sure what George was looking for from her. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"Zoe, do you have feelings for Wade?"

"Last night was a mistake. I'm over Wade."

"You're an awful liar," he told her. Zoe raised an eyebrow. "That's how I know you're telling the truth." He kissed her again, and for a moment, it felt as if all of the bad things that had happened in the past two years had gone away. They only had the good.

"Now, would you like to come in?" George asked.

"I would love to, but I've got to be up early tomorrow. Brick's going out of town again and was kind of enough to schedule a couple early morning appointments before he mentioned that. How does dinner tomorrow night sound?"

"It sounds great. How about I cook for you? Say around 7?"

"That sounds perfect," Zoe said before giving George a quick peck on the cheek and leaving to go home.

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><p>"I cannot believe you slept with Zoe. I can't deal with this," Lavon told Wade, sitting at the bar of the Rammer Jammer.<p>

"You can't deal with this? Why is this any of your business? I can't deal with this. But I'm at work right now, so I don't think it's appropriate to be discussing this here," Wade said as he grabbed Lavon a beer.

"Cut the crap, Wade. That's never stopped you before," Lavon said as he rolled his eyes and took a swig of his beer. "And it's my business because I always end up hearing about it. When you two are good, I have to watch you make out in my kitchen. And when it's bad, I get stuck in the middle."

Wade started clearing off empty glasses from the bar. "I wasn't the owner of the bar then, so this conversation is now off limits."

"Wade, you're just avoiding the issue at hand. As much as I don't want to get involved, it seems to be impossible. Just tell me, what are you and Zoe doing?"

Wade couldn't help but grin. "I don't know. I really don't know, Lavon, but whatever it is, this may be the shot I need."

"No. No, no, no. You don't seriously think you and Zoe are getting back together, do you? That's a terrible idea."

Wade just smirked. "You never know. I just needed an in, well by _in_ I mean…." he said as he winked at Lavon.

"Ewww, gross. You know I don't want to hear that. You're right. This conversation is off limits. I'm sure I'll hear all about it from Zoe later anyways, whether I want to or not."

"I'm sorry Lavon, but you wanted to know."

"Do you actually think that this is going to work out? Do you not remember what happened the first time?"

Wade's eyes shot up to Lavon's from the bar he was wiping off. "Don't remind me. I know what I did to Zoe was wrong. If there was one thing in this world that I can undo, it would be cheating on her. But I would never do that again. Never."

"I'm sorry, Wade. I know you wouldn't. I didn't mean for it to come out like that."

"I'm ready for a relationship with Zoe again, and I'd really appreciate it if you could just pretend that you were a little more supportive."

Lavon had nothing nice left to say, so he looked down at the bar as he took another sip of his beer.

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><p>Thanks for reading, and as I said, if you'd like me to continue, be so kind as to let me know! :)<p> 


	2. Gonna Have to Try a Little Harder

"Wade, what are you doing?" Zoe asked as she walked up the stairs to the carriage house. He had his shirt off and tool belt on, hammering at her front door.

"I'm really sorry I forgot about fixing this creaky door for you. I just thought about it and thought that I'd come over right away to fix it for you," he replied.

"What are you doing?" she asked again.

Wade had a look of confusion on his face. "Uh, I just told you, Doc. Fixing your door. You didn't already forget, did you?"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "I mean what's going on? Why are you acting so weird? And why are you shirtless? When I asked you to do this for me, you told me to just spray a little WD-40 on it and it'd be fine."

"Did you actually buy a bottle and do it?"

"Not yet. But that's not the point."

"That's why I came over. I shouldn't have brushed you off like that. I've changed. I want to be a good friend, and if you ask for a favor, I want to help you out."

"Is this because you need to ask me a favor or what?"

Wade laughed. "Don't flatter yourself. I don't need any favors." Wade just kept beating at the door, moving it this way and that.

Zoe shook her head. "And there's the real Wade Kinsella I know."

"I'm sorry, that's not what I meant." He looked down at Zoe.

"Seriously, why are you doing this at eleven o'clock? I need to go to sleep. I have an appointment at six in the morning. Six! So get out of here!" She shooed at him, but he didn't budge.

"Don't get your panties in a bunch, Doc." Wade took a step back from the door and admired his work. He smoothly opened and shut the door, then opened it once more. "Here you are."

"You are acting so weird." She watched Wade as she walked through the door.

"A simple thank you would do just fine. Or maybe an invite in, a beer perhaps."

"You think I'm going to invite _you_ in? Think again. That ship has sailed. Last night was a fluke, and trust me, it is _not _happening again. Got it? You cheated on me, and that hurt."

"I get it. I made a mistake. When are you going to get over that and stop reminding me? I mean, we slept together last night."

Zoe grabbed the door from Wade, which he was still holding open. "Seriously? Your idea of trying to get back with me involves insulting the amount of time it's taken me to get over the fact you cheated. I made a mistake too. Sleeping with you. Good night." Zoe stormed off in a huff towards her room.

"Zoe…wait…" Wade called after her, but after a few second with no response, he was left trudging back to his own place for the night.

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><p>"Addy, what are you doing here?" Zoe asked as she walked through the waiting room of the practice the next morning. She was shocked, but she couldn't help but smile at the sight of the familiar face.<p>

"I couldn't stay away from Bluebell." Addy smiled at Zoe as she grabbed out files for the day.

"But weren't you going back to school?"

"I was. I heard you guys needed a little help back here though. I figured if I was coming back to Bluebell to work here again after I finish school, what did I need that new degree for? I know everything I need to."

Zoe finally walked behind the counter and gave Addy a hug. "I'm so glad to see you. I don't exactly have a big group of girlfriends around here. "

"It's good to see you too, Zoe. I'll get the coffee brewing before our first patients show."

"How did you know I'd be here so early?"

"I called Dr. Breeland last night. He said he was out of town, but you'd be here bright and early. Thought I'd surprise you."

"Wasn't he kind to schedule them so early for me?" Zoe asked before she started looking over the files Addy had pulled.

"He sure was. You've still got a lot of pep in your step for being up before six in the morning, girl."

"Addy, I'll tell you all about it today. Not how about we get a little coffee brewing in here?"

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><p>"Where's Zoe this morning?" Lavon asked as he flipped a couple of pancakes onto an empty plate. "On second thought, I hope you don't know the answer to that question."<p>

"Relax, Lavon," Wade said as he grabbed a plate of pancakes from Lavon's hand. "Nothing happened. She just had to be up early this morning to get to work." Annabeth walked in just in time to catch the end of the conversation.

"Nothing happened? With Zoe? " she asked as she walked around the counter to give Lavon a kiss on the cheek.

Wade sighed. "You told her?"

"I'm sorry, we don't keep secrets."

"Yes, with Zoe. Nothing happened last night with Zoe," Wade reluctantly told Annabeth.

"So fixing her door didn't work out for you?" Lavon asked, grinning from ear to ear.

"You saw that?"

"Of course I saw that. Fixing something shirtless, it's your one play. You really need some new moves. You also really need to let Zoe go. We talked about this, Wade."

"It's usually Zoe's one weakness. I just don't get why I didn't work. I was trying to show her I've changed."

"Are you even listening? Wade, this is a bad idea."

"I thought you were trying to stay out of it Lavon."

Lavon raised his hands up defensively, as if he was surrendering.

"You're right. Lavon Hayes was just giving a suggestion to help out his friends. He's probably right, but of course no one is going to listen to Lavon's advice."

"Honey, if you think fixing her door is going to get that girl to go out with you again, then you're never going to get her back," Annabeth told him. Lavon flashed her a look, and she knew exactly what he was telling her. "Not that I'm encouraging this. I'm just saying, that's not the proper way to win a girl over."

"Funny, I don't remember asking you," Wade said before stuffing his mouth with a big bite of pancakes. He couldn't hide the disappointment from his face. Annabeth turned her attention to her own food and the three sat in silence as they ate.

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><p>Thank you to those of you out there reading. I know it's short right now, but it takes me a little bit to get my stories off the ground. If you want more, let me know. I love reviews, and I'm even open to suggestions. You never know where my stories may end, so even if you're a Wade fan and you don't like where this is going or a George fan and you don't like it, stay tuned. You never know what could turn out. :)<p> 


	3. The Truth Comes Out

Lemon walked into the Rammer Jammer to see Wade already hard at work, wearing his regular plaid and a dishrag over his shoulder. "Didn't expect to see you in so early this morning," she said as she passed by on her way to the back. Wade finished clearing off the table he was standing at and followed her back. "Especially since you closed up last night."

"Just needed to get my mind off of something," he said as he unloaded the dirty dishes.

Lemon looked at Wade with her eyes slightly squinted, like she was trying to read him. "You needed to get your mind off something? I really hope by something, you don't mean Zoe Hart."

"How do you do that?" he asked.

"It's not important. What is important that you need to stop dwelling on the past. You can't let your personal life distract you from work." Lemon set down her purse and straightened her ponytail out.

"Oh, let it be, Lemon. It's not affecting my work."

"Well then why did I count three tables on my way back here that had yet to be wiped off?" She pointed to a few empty tables with crumbs on them. "We can't have customers sitting down to dirty tables, Wade."

"Relax, I was going back for them. And I'm not the only person working here right now."

"That may be true, but you also left early last night. I know you didn't actually close up," Lemon quipped as she smoothed out the wrinkles in her dress.

"Are you following me now too? Wanda said she'd lock up for me, and she did. Everything went fine, and I had my phone on so if there were any issues they could call. We can trust our employees to do things like that for us. When we open for breakfast and close a bar, it's a little hard to be here all the time."

"That's not the point!" Lemon shouted. A few people sitting nearby snapped their heads in Lemon and Wade's direction as they emerged from the back. "Nothing to see here folks," she announced to their customers with a smile.

"See what you did?" Wade snapped back at her as he started wiping off one of the tables he had "missed."

"Wade, where did you go after you left the Rammer Jammer last night?"

"Lemon, I don't know if you're aware, but we're business partners. So the answer to that question is none of your business!"

"You went to see Zoe, didn't you?"

"Quit doing that, would you." He moved onto the next table, with Lemon still in tow right behind him. "Maybe I did. What's it matter to you?"

"If you say you're going to close up, I expect you to close up. Trying to get your ex-girlfriend back is not an acceptable reason for leaving early."

Wade had been furiously cleaning the tables, scrubbing and scrubbing, trying to get his mind off of the last night. He finally gave Lemon his full attention for a moment. "Lemon, stop. It's never going to be an issue again. Zoe completely rejected me. She wouldn't even let me come in last night. I was trying to do something nice and made a complete ass out of myself. Happy now?"

"So now you're going to act like this because you're upset she said no? Get it together Wade. We have a restaurant to manage. Maybe a little time off of girls could do you some good." She finally walked off to do business of her own as Wade stood there, visibly upset.

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><p>Zoe sat at her desk looking over some paperwork when Addy walked into her office. "Our afternoon seems to be pretty free. So now tell me, what's got Zoe Hart so happy? I've heard what happened with you and Wade. I'm so sorry about all of that."<p>

"You hear about Wade?"

"I know I haven't been around much, but I still get all of town gossip. Sherriff Bill is still my husband, after all."

"That really sucked, but I'm over it now. And I'm onto George Tucker. It just happened last night, so if you could keep it quiet for a few days, I'd really appreciate it." Zoe went back to her paperwork, as if the conversation was over right there.

"Zoe, now I know you're probably going to say you don't want my advice, but are you sure about all this?"

"What do you mean, Addy? I've liked him since I got here. Things are finally working out for us." Addy shook her head as she sat down in the chair opposite of Zoe. "And don't give me that look!"

"I'm sorry, but like I said, I still get all of the town gossip. I know you're always acting with your best intentions, but do you really think rushing into a relationship like this is the best thing? Maybe you should take a little break for a while. Clear your mind."

"It's the only relationship I've really wanted since I got here though," Zoe whined.

"Then what was Wade? George was still single when you started dating Wade."

"You are well informed," Zoe said. She shut the file she was writing in and set her pen down, resting her arms on her desk. "I appreciate your concern, Addy, but this is what I really want."

Just then, Lavon knocked on Zoe's open door. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything here, but Lavon Hayes is in need of a doctor." He held up his hand wrapped in a bloody towel. Zoe immediately rushed over to him.

"What happened?"

"I was just putting dishes away, dropped a glass on the counter and thought I had cleaned it all up. I was wrong."

"Go have a seat in the exam room, Lavon. I'll be there in just a minute." Lavon walked down the hall as Zoe turned to Addy. "Lavon's my best friend in this town. I know at least he'll be supportive." Then she turned back to follow him. She grabbed some gloves and slid them onto her hands as she walked in the room and walked over to Lavon to examine his hand.

"I was up so early this morning, I didn't even get the chance to tell you my good news," she told him as she unwrapped the towel from his hand.

Lavon was obviously confused Zoe had any good news to share. "Good news?"

"Yes, good news. Why are you acting so surprised? Zoe Hart is allowed to have good news every once in a while, isn't she?"

"Well I wouldn't exactly call rejecting Wade good news."

"Rejecting Wade? No, that's not what I'm talking about."

Lavon shook his head. "Oh no. I don't even want to know where this is headed."

"I said it's good news Lavon!" Zoe started cleaning out his cut. "I went to see George Tucker last night…"

Lavon quickly cut her off. "Oh no was right. Do not tell me you're already with George Tucker now."

Zoe looked like a guilty little kid who had went against her parents' wishes and was afraid to tell them otherwise, not making eye contact at first. She grabbed the supplies to stitch Lavon's hand up. He knew the truth whether she confirmed it or not. "I know that this may sound a little crazy, but I went over there to apologize to him last night and we decided that we were going to give things a try between the two of us."

"Did it ever occur to you that jumping around from relationship to relationship isn't healthy? You're the doctor. I thought you'd know."

Zoe started stitching Lavon up as she continued to talk. "George is the most loved man in this town. He was even the MOTY last year. This whole town loves him, and he's just what I need."

"Maybe that's true, but did you ever think to give it a little bit of time."

"No!" Zoe said, her voice rose far above what it usually was. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. But I have given it time."

"Yes you did, and then you were both in relationships. Relationships that have recently ended. I'm really trying not to get involved here, but if I'm going to have to continue hearing about every new and dramatic chapter of the Zoe Hart Love Story, it's going to be hard not for me to give my opinion. If you really wanted to cut this drama out like you say you do, you'd listen."

"I'm sorry you're tired of hearing me share, but I'm not getting into this drama on purpose. And you don't have to hear about it anymore. You will no longer have to hear about my life at all. We'll just make small talk in the mornings while we eat breakfast, and that'll be that." Zoe finished stitching up Lavon's hand in silence.

"Zoe, it's not that I don't want you to tell me what's happening in your life," he told her as he stood up from the table.

Zoe shook her head. "Doesn't matter. You don't want to hear, and that's fine. I'm done telling you Lavon." Every conversation he'd recently had seemed to end with someone upset. He opened his mouth to say more, but then stopped and left, deciding to give Zoe a little time to cool off.

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><p>"Hey," George greeted Lemon as he walked into the Rammer Jammer. "Lemon, can we talk?"<p>

"I'm a little busy right now, if you hadn't noticed." It was obvious she wasn't in a good mood, even to those that didn't know Lemon at all.

"Look, it's kind of important. If you're busy I can sit and wait until you get a free minute."

Lemon realized it was unavoidable, so she turned to George. "What is so important that you're interrupting me while I'm working?"

"Why don't you sit down, Lemon," he said as he pulled out a chair for her.

Lemon rolled her eyes. "Look, George, if this is going to take a while, I really don't have the time. We've been very busy here lately if you haven't seen or heard."

"I know, I know. But I have something to tell you, and I wanted you to hear it from me." Lemon finally sat in the chair George had pulled out and he took the chair opposite of her. They sat there in silence for a moment while George stared down at the table, not prepared for what he had come to say.

"So?" Lemon asked.

"Lemon, I just wanted you to hear this from me first. Last night, I was talking to Zoe, and we decided that we're going to give it a shot."

"You decided to distract me from my work to tell me that? I get it George. You're dating now. You told me when you started dating, and I appreciated it. But now you just seem to be throwing it in my face."

"You know that's not why I'm doing this. I don't want it to be weird in town, if you see the two of us. I thought I owed it to you to tell you in person before everyone else found out about Zoe and I."

Lemon stood up from the table, blaming her anger on the fact that she was distracted from work and the fact that he came to tell her he got a new girlfriend, ignoring the fact that it was Zoe Hart. "Well thank you, George, for reminding me how great your love life is and how much mine sucks. You win! You can stop telling me about every time you get a new girlfriend from now on though." She walked off in a huff. George felt bad, but it was something he had to do.

Lemon marched right up to Wade.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Well I now know why Zoe said no to you." Wade's signature smile dropped right off of his face. He knew what was coming since he'd seen who she last interacted with. "Last night, she and George Tucker made it official." Wade had no response, but the anger he'd felt at himself was now aimed at George Tucker. He just watched as George left the Rammer Jammer.

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><p>I know it's getting repetitive, but thanks again for reading! I do enjoy writing this stuff, but it's nice to know that others actually enjoy reading. Again, I'm always up for readers' suggestions and to discuss the show. :)<p> 


	4. Drunk & Stupid

Zoe was back to working on paper work in her office until another visitor popped in. "Hey, I hope you're not too busy," George Tucker said as he walked through her office door. Zoe's face immediately broke into a smile and she got up to wrap him in a hug.

"I'm never too busy for you," she said, planting a kiss on his lips. "Brick had the morning packed with appointments, so ever since lunch, it's been pretty dead in here. Why'd you decide to stop by? Couldn't wait a few more hours to see me?" she joked.

George smiled, but then slowly got a little more serious. "Zoe, look, I love you, but do you think we're ready to go out in front of the town as a couple yet?"

Zoe tried to read George's face, but it wasn't getting her anywhere. "I don't know. I don't think it really matters at this point. I'm coming over to your boat for dinner tonight. No one will see us, and no one is going to find out until we're ready," she stated, but George just looked at her, knowing she was a blabber mouth with almost any piece of information, even about herself. "Well except for the two people I told. But don't worry; they're not going to tell anyone. Addy wanted to know why I was in such a good mood. And I tell Lavon everything, but I don't think he'll be telling anyone. He's big on 'staying out of everyone's business'," Zoe said. "Although they both felt the need to voice their lack of support."

"This is why I thought it might be a good idea to wait. We probably aren't going to gain a lot of immediate support. But there's a small chance we may be too late," George said. He rubbed the back of his neck, thinking about the mistake he had made. "I may have told someone that might let the cat out of the bag."

Zoe cocked her head to the side. "So you came in here to tell me to keep our relationship a secret, then tell me you're already ousted us? You're making a lot of sense George. Who did you tell?" The look on his face said it all. He looked nervous. "You told Lemon! Please tell me you're joking."

"I'm sorry, but we were together for fifteen years. And I thought when she found out that I was dating the girl I left her for, she might want to hear it straight from the source. But after seeing how well that went, I don't think I'm going to try it with Tansy, which is another reason I'd like to keep it quiet for a little bit. We did just break up, also over you."

"Oh," Zoe said. She looked down at her desk. "So this isn't about the town then."

George paced back and forth. "I want this, Zoe, I do. But out of the people we've told so far, no one is very supportive, and I don't want to hurt Tansy. We just broke up, and she's only a town away from us now. I don't want to be parading around throwing this in her, or Lemon's face. Maybe we just ignore the rumors for a little while."

"This story is probably already on its way to Dash's blog, if it's not there already. How are we supposed to ignore that?"

"Not be seen in town together, I guess. And just keep denying it. Isn't this going to protect someone that maybe you once cared for too?"

Zoe sat there silent for a moment, knowing exactly who he was talking about. "Fine, we'll lay low for a week or two."

"Thanks, Zoe. See you at seven?"

"Sorry, but I think laying low would be me not coming over tonight and drawing any more attention to the two of us being together, don't you think?" she asked. She was having a hard time keeping her voice in check because she was getting more upset by the second.

"Zoe, that's not what I meant."

"If you want to lay low, we should do it right. This is a very small town, after all. The chances of someone coming by and seeing us together are pretty high."

George sighed. "I'll call you tonight."

* * *

><p>"Lavon, do you still think George has feeling for Tansy?" Zoe asked as she walked in the backdoor to the kitchen.<p>

"Good to hear you're already sharing details of your personal life with me again, but I'm not giving anymore advice on the topic."

"I'm serious. No one really knows about the two of us yet. You're the only person I have to ask."

Lavon shook his head as he continued looking for something in his cupboards. "You know who you should be asking this question? George." He pulled out the pan he'd been looking for. "Aha!"

"George wants to keep our relationship a secret. He kept changing his reasoning."

"What? That doesn't sound like George. That boy wanted to come out to the whole town with you the day after he called off his wedding."

"I know. That's why I'm so confused," she said while grabbing herself a glass of water. "Or why I was confused. Then he mentioned not wanting to hurt Tansy."

"Lavon Hayes is not getting involved, but if he was, he might say that George may have some feelings left. You can't be surprised. Tansy left two days ago, Zoe. What did you expect?"

"He wanted to date me the day he left Lemon at the altar! You just said it yourself," she argued.

"Then why didn't you two start dating then?" Lavon started pulling ingredients from out of his cupboards and filling the pan with water.

"Because he had…okay I get it Lavon. We've rushed into things."

"It's not that I won't be supportive one day, I'm just not today."

"You're not going to tell anyone about George and I, are you?" she asked.

"Not getting involved means that I've heard none of this."

Zoe smiled. "Thanks Lavon."

"Thanks for what?" he asked, acting like he was legitimately confused until he smiled and winked at Zoe.

"Exactly. I'll leave you to your date night now," she told him as she exited out the back door.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe this is actually happening," Lemon told Annabeth while bursting through her front door. She headed straight for the couch, Annabeth furiously checking her watch. "Do you have somewhere to be? Because this is much more important.<p>

"I'm sorry, Lemon. I wasn't expecting a visitor. I was on my way out to see Lavon before you showed up and I really don't want to be late."

"I think he can handle you being a few minutes last. This is a crisis, AB!"

"You're right. I can be," she glanced down at her watch again," a few minutes late. What is this crisis?"

"George Tucker and Zoe Hart are dating!"

"What?" Annabeth was genuinely surprised. "When did this happen?"

"Last night I guess. George told me that he wanted to hear it from him. Do you know how much of an embarrassment this will be to me?"

"An embarrassment? Lemon, you two did break up a year ago, honey. And you've both dated since then."

Lemon grabbed Annabeth's hands. "This is different. This is Zoe Hart, the girl George left me at the altar for. She's my arch nemesis."

"_Technically_ he didn't leave you at the altar, and I think you're being slightly overly dramatic about the whole thing," Annabeth told her. Lemon shot Annabeth a cold look in response. "Okay, not helping."

"Can you just help me dispel these rumors for now?"

"You think that's going to work? What about when everyone sees Zoe and George out in public? They won't be any rumors anymore. "

"I don't know, Annabeth."

"I hope you're not planning one of your crazy schemes." Lemon couldn't hide the look from her face. "Oh no! I am not helping with whatever you're cooking up."

"I am over George. I am, but Zoe Hart?"

"We are dropping this. I'm not going to tell anyone about the two of them. It's not my news to tell, but you need to stop whatever it is you're thinking of. George deserves to be happy, just like you do, and if he's happy with Zoe, then let's let them be." Annabeth stood up from the couch and motioned towards the door. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have a date to get to."

* * *

><p>Zoe opened up the front door to her carriage house and walked in to be surprised by none other than Wade Kinsella sitting on her couch, a beer bottle in hand.<p>

"Hey, doc," he told her, barely fit enough to hold himself in an upright sitting position.

"What are you doing here, Wade?" she asked.

"I'm here for you. I want you back," he told her, his speech slurring.

Zoe sighed, but walked over to Wade. "This is the last thing I wanted to be dealing with tonight," she said under her breath as she grabbed the beer bottle from Wade's hand. "How many of these have you had?" she asked, setting it down on her coffee table.

"This many," Wade told her as he held up his fingers, but they were constantly moving to make different numbers. He was past the point of knowing.

"Why?" she asked herself, not expecting to get a response. She sat down on the couch next to him and helped lay him down onto her couch.

Wade's eyelids slowly started closing. "Because I love you, Doc, and I don't want you with George Tucker."

"What?" Zoe asked. She started panicking. There's no knowing who Wade told if he had been in this state all night. "How did you know that?"

"Lemon told me," he said, his eyes completely shut and his hands resting on his stomach.

"What's going on here?" George asked as he came through the door.

"Just because you're my boyfriend now doesn't mean you have the right to just walk in," Zoe told him. "And if you're asking about why Wade is here, he was sitting on my couch waiting for me when I got back a few minutes ago. Nothing is going on."

"I felt bad about earlier today, so I came over to apologize. I didn't realize that you'd already be in the arms of your ex-boyfriend already." George just shook her head. He turned to leave, but then turned back around. "Actually, this is exactly what I expected from you, Zoe."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Zoe stood up from the couch. She was trying to stay quiet, a sleeping Wade lying within a couple of feet of her, but the anger in her voice was obvious.

George took a step closer. "It means that this is what you do, Zoe. You're obviously not over Wade. Every time things have gotten rocky between us, you've gone to Wade."

"Every time things have gotten rocky? I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what you're talking about. Your wedding night or the time your girlfriend yelled at me in front of a room full of teenagers at a high school dance?"

"That's not fair."

"It's not? You know what I think isn't fair, asking me to keep quiet about our relationship. Which is working really well, by the way," she said, pointing down to the drunk passed out on her couch. "That's why he's here. He found out about the two of us, got drunk, and showed up while I was gone."

George's eyes got big, surprised. He sat down in the nearby chair and put his hands in his face, then looked up at Zoe. "I am so sorry, Zoe. It's been a day. I'm messing things up before we even get the chance to start."

Zoe walked over to him and sat on his lap. "You're not messing anything up. It's this town."

"You're blaming it on the town?"

"George, it's a small town. I've been here for two years and I know everyone by name. We both have exes here, and communication with them is unavoidable. It's a little hard to escape the gossip and the drama here." Zoe paused, reflecting back on all of her drama lately. "We all know I can't escape the drama."

"It may not be ideal when everyone starts finding out about us, but all of the talk will go away after a while. They're all going to see how great we are together," George reassured her as he rubbed her back.

Zoe nodded and finally let a smile spread across her face. "You're right. Now if you want to help me get Wade back to his place, I'll let you stay for a while."

"Deal."

* * *

><p>"Last night…was…wow," George said as he lay with Zoe's head resting on his chest. He lightly brushed her hair out of her face. "Thank you for letting me stay over. I really am sorry about what happened. You know, before the mind blowing sex," he said, laughing.<p>

"I wish we didn't have to go to work," Zoe said as she slowly sat up in bed, giving George a kiss as she did so.

"We don't. Let's call in sick," he said as he pulled her down for another kiss. Zoe couldn't resist, but eventually the two parted.

"George, I'm a doctor. I treat sick people. I can't pretend to be sick."

"Fine, but can't you stay in bed a little longer?" George begged.

Zoe got up from her bed and walked towards the bathroom, then turning around in the doorway. "No, but we do both have to shower this morning. It's a little quicker if we just do it together." George grinned as he popped out of bed and followed her into the bathroom.

* * *

><p>Wade walked into the mayor's house for breakfast, scratching his head in deep thought of what had happened the previous night. "You wouldn't happen to know how I got home last night, would you?" he asked Lavon, who was pouring himself a bowl of cereal.<p>

"What did you do last night?" Lavon asked, knowing some sort of dumb answer was about to follow.

"I don't know. I drank too much after work, and somehow woke up in my own bed this morning. Everything in the middle is a blur," he told Lavon. His face dropped when some of the details started coming back. "Shit," he said under his breath.

"That's all you remember?" Lavon prodded.

Wade shook his head. "Maybe it was a dream."

"Maybe what was a dream?" Lavon asked.

Just then, Zoe walked in the back door wearing nude heels, a black skirt, and a sparkly blue top, her hair down in its usual waves. "Good morning, Lavon," she said, ignoring Wade completely. "How'd you sleep?" She grabbed the box of cereal and poured herself a bowl.

"Uh…good. What's got you in such a good mood?"

"Well certainly not the fact that Wade showed up at the carriage house drunk last night, claiming he was going to win me back." She poured milk over her cereal, still acting as if Wade wasn't in the room.

"Zoe, I'm sorry about that. I had too much to drink, and I don't even remember everything that happened last night."

"Did you hear something, Lavon?" Zoe was completely avoiding even looking Wade's direction as she dug into her cereal.

"Very mature, Zoe. I said I was sorry." Zoe kept eating in silence. "C'mon. You plan on ignoring me forever? Well good luck with that."

They all knew Zoe would give in and talk to Wade, sooner rather than later, but maybe not this soon. "Stop. I don't want your apology. I want you to promise me that'll never happen again. We're over Wade. We have been since you cheated on me. I don't want George worrying about our past, Wade."

"I'd be worried if I were him. Didn't seem to me like it was over a couple nights ago, he knows better than anyone."

"That was a mistake, and I'd really appreciate it if you would quit bringing it up. We both know I'm with George Tucker now, that's how things are supposed to be."

"How things are supposed to be? C'mon, Doc. You can't base your life decisions on how you think your life has been planned out for you."

"I can and I will," she replied. She dumped the rest of her cereal out. "Suddenly, I've lost my appetite." And with that, Zoe stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

"No, no, no!" Lavon repeated.

"Would you knock it off with all of your no's? I know that Zoe and I are over. I got drunk and did something stupid. That's what I always do."

Lavon took a deep breath. "I am trying so hard to stay out of this, but you people really need some help."

* * *

><p>Just so you all know, I do love Wade, I'm just exploring a few different ideas. I even took to watching a few ZoeWade videos on YouTube for a little inspiration. Keep the reviews coming! :)


	5. The Return of Dr Breeland

Zoe walked into her office to find none other than Jonah Breeland studying a patient's file while sitting at her desk.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Zoe Hart, just the girl I was looking for. Did you miss me?" he asked as he stood up from her chair and walked towards her, a big smile spread across his face.

"About as much as I'd miss having a knife stuck in my eye." She intentionally bumped into Jonah as she walked over to her desk and sat down, trying to look busy by opening up one of the files on her desk and looking inside.

"You're just as feisty as I remember, not that it's been long. Look, Brick isn't going to be back for a couple more days, so he asked me to see his patients in the meantime."

"If he asked to see his patients, then what were you doing sitting at my desk?" she asked.

Jonah took another step closer to Zoe. "Because I was waiting for you. Didn't you pick up on that?"

"Good news. I'm over Wade now, so we don't need to have that hot doctor sex you mentioned before. Now shoo," she told him, waving her hand towards the door, telling him to leave. "I've got work to do."

"No you don't. I've seen our schedule for the day."

"If we're not that busy, then why exactly did I need your help?"

"Brick just asked me to fill in, and I said yes. I couldn't have possibly known that our schedules would have so much…_down_ time."

"How many times do I have to say no to your sexual advances before you give up?"

"As many times as it takes for you to finally say yes," he said with a grin. He stood in her doorway, leaning against one side of it.

Zoe opened her computer up, trying to show Jonah that she was actually busy doing something. "I'm serious, Jonah. I want nothing to do with you," she said without looking up from her screen.

"Nothing? In that case, can I get an update? What's the latest in the Zoe Hart Love Saga? There must be something new if you don't want to take me up on my offer." Jonah sat on the edge of Zoe's desk and pushed her laptop down, almost to a close, but her hands were in the way.

"I didn't want anything to do with you before. Why would I now?" she finally looked him in the eyes for the first time since she'd discovered him waiting for her at her desk.

"Do you remember Spring Break? Because I remember the beautiful, young doctor flashing me. If that's not an invite into bed, I don't know what is. If I'd stayed just one more night we both know what would have happened."

"I found someone," she said, out of frustration. Her eyes got big. She was obviously shocked she let it slip.

Jonah laughed. "Oh, you found someone. I shouldn't be surprised. Done with one guy and onto the next. Whose life are you ruining now?"

"I'm not ruining anyone's life, and I'm not telling you."

"So it's a secret? Is he that ashamed of you?"

"He is _not_ ashamed of me," she told him as she got up from her desk, bopping him on the head with the file he'd left on her desk. "Now if you'd excuse me, I have patients to see."

"Hey Lavon, mind if I sit here?" George asked, Lavon sitting alone drinking a cup of coffee and reading the local newspaper at a table inside of the Rammer Jammer.

"Uhh…go right ahead," Lavon told him, not sure of what conversation this might bring.

"I know you're not supportive of me and Zoe being together," George came out and said. Lavon looked up from his paper to give George his attention, "but I hope it's not getting in the way of your friendship. I love Zoe, and I really think things are finally working out for the two of us."

"Is that why you insisted on keeping your relationship a secret?"

"What?" George acted surprised, but Zoe told Lavon everything, and George quickly wiped the shocked look off of his face.

Lavon sighed. "I know the town can be…harsh sometimes. But if you love her so much, why can't you tell people?"

"I do want to tell people, but I just thought it'd be best, since Tansy just left," George took a breath to continue, but Lavon was quick to cut him off.

"So it's about Tansy. George, I've been trying not to get in the middle of Zoe's love life, but she's my best friend. I don't want to see her get hurt because you still have feelings for your ex-girlfriend."

George stifled a nervous laugh. "Lavon, I don't have feelings for Tansy. I don't know where you got that idea from," he said.

"Well you might want to let Zoe know. She was the one that came up with that idea. But can you blame her? Most people take more than a day to get over someone they dated for months."

"Zoe thinks I still have feelings for Tansy?" George seemed to be getting increasingly nervous, a worried wrinkle forming above his eyebrows.

"Yeah. But she's too 'in love' to say anything to you about it."

"I'll write you that prescription for penicillin and you'll be good to go, Wanda," Zoe told Wanda.

"Good, we're done with our appointments for the day," Jonah told her as he appeared in the doorway. "Now we can fill our time with _other_ things."

"I'm with a patient right now, Jonah."

Wanda snatched the prescription out of Zoe's hand as soon as she'd finished writing it. "Thanks, Dr. Hart. I'll leave you two be."

"And now you're not with a patient. How about we grab lunch? It will be out in public where everyone will see us."

"Is it sad I'm more worried about being seen with you in public than you hitting on me in private?"

"This town loves me. Let me take you to the Rammer Jammer," Jonah said, putting his arm out for her to take. Zoe just rolled her eyes in response. "C'mon. What's the harm in grabbing lunch with a coworker? My treat."

"What if a patient comes in and neither of us are here?"

"We can leave our phones on. Addy's here. Now stop making excuses."

Zoe sighed, realizing she wasn't going to get out of this. "Let me grab my purse from my office."

"Do you feel like everyone is staring at us?" Zoe asked through her teeth to Jonah. They sat at a table in the middle of the restaurant. The place was unusually full for one o'clock on a Thursday, and all eyes seemed to be on them.

"Look at the cute couple. It's about time Dr. Hart found a decent guy in this town," they overheard Shula saying, only a table away.

"I don't know. I think Jonah Breeland could do better," Delma told her. Jonah laughed.

Zoe turned around to face the two. "Excuse me, but we are not dating." She pointed to Jonah and herself. Jonah just laughed again at her little outburst. "And this is not funny."

"I find it quite funny. But Delma is right, I could do a lot better," he told her. Zoe playfully hit him as Wanda walked up to take her order.

"Wanda, what are you already doing back at work?" Zoe whispered. "I told you that you're contagious."

"I know, but they needed me to come in. I think that's the least of our problems though."

"Then what is the problem?" Zoe asked.

Wanda pulled the empty chair at their table closer to Zoe's and sat down so no one would overhear. The look on her face showed she was feeling completely guilty about something. "I'm really sorry, but I may have started a rumor that you and Jonah are dating."

"You what? How did this happen Wanda?" Zoe didn't even try keeping it quiet as Wanda did.

"Well when I came in, there was talk that you and George Tucker were together. I was just trying to help turn the attention away from you, so I blurted out that it couldn't be true because I'd seen you and Jonah getting friendly at your office. I didn't mean anything by it, but you know how everything gets blown up on Dash's blog."

"It's already on the blog?" she asked, but Wanda was already moving along to help the next table of people. "It's okay," Zoe told herself. "It's going to be okay." She looked up at Jonah. "You're on call this afternoon. I'm taking it off." She stood up from the table and walked over to the bar. "I need a glass of anything alcoholic. Whatever is quickest for you to get."

"Whoa there, Doc. Isn't it a little early for you to start drinking? Don't you have patients to see this afternoon?" Wade responded when he turned around to face her.

"No I don't. And Jonah said he'd stick around the office."

"Oh, Jonah. Your new boyfriend?" he asked with a grin. "Good luck to you two. You're adorable together" he said as he grabbed a bottle of whiskey and poured it into her cup. He couldn't help but grin at the sight of a flustered Zoe.

"You of all people should know there is nothing going on with Jonah."

"I don't know. You made it pretty clear that there is nothing going on with us. It's not like we were ever just friends, so how would I know what's going on in your life now?"

It was like slap to the face for Zoe. "I know you're just saying that because you're mad at me right now." She was trying to at least make herself think that was true.

"You sure? All we did before we started sleeping together was fight. I don't really see that as friendship. And now…" he trailed off. Zoe just shook her head and grabbed her drink off of the bar.

"Thanks," she said, turning to walk back to the table Jonah was sitting at.

"So I take it the actual mysterious boyfriend of Zoe Hart's is George Tucker then?" Jonah asked as she sat in the empty chair next to him.

"Didn't I say we weren't discussing this?" she asked, throwing back a shot of whiskey.

"Wow. Do you really find me that repulsive?"

Zoe nodded. "A little bit."

"I don't think any amount of drinking is going to keep you from thinking about the fact that George doesn't want to tell people about your relationship," Jonah said while scooting his chair closer.

"What are you doing? And how do you know it's not me that wants to keep our relationship a secret?" she asked.

"Relax. I'm trying to keep everyone else from hearing. Also, you just admitted that it is George. That was easier than I thought."

"Fine. It's George. You happy?"

"Only if you are, Dr. Hart."

"I'm incredibly happy when you're not breathing down my neck all the time. After today, I no longer need your help at the office. Thank you for filling in, but I've got it covered until Brick is back."

Jonah shook his head. "Sorry, but I'm not that easy to get rid of. Brick asked if I'd fill in for him, and if you had checked the two days' schedules, then you'd realize you can't possibly do it alone."

"Then just stay out of my hair while you're here. Are we clear?"

"Crystal."


	6. Trust Issues

**Chapter 6: Trust Issues**

George had a bouquet of roses in his hands as he knocked on the door to Zoe's carriage house the next night. He hadn't told her he was stopping by, but he still felt a little bad about the night before when he'd jumped to conclusions about Wade even though they'd made up since then—twice.

"George! I wasn't expecting this," she said, pulling him into a big hug. She took the flowers from him and sniffed them. "These are beautiful, but what did I do to deserve these?"

"I just wanted to apologize. For everything. It's been two days and we've already ran into more problems than most couples do after years of dating."

Zoe shook her head as she walked back in and sat down on her couch. "You don't have to apologize. It's not your fault. I told you, it's this town. I love Bluebell, but I think I need to start prescribing more crazy pills."

George laughed. "Well that wasn't the only reason I brought you flowers."

Zoe raised an eyebrow at the comment. "It wasn't?"

"I've heard I might have to do a little work to win you over from Jonah Breeland." George just grinned as he plopped down on the couch next to her. Zoe playfully hit his bicep.

"You know this town has been oddly infatuated with the love life of Dr. Zoe Hart since I came here. I can't have a meal with a man without being madly in love with him these days."

"That's not what I heard," George joked.

"Oh, shut up."

"Make me." And with that they were making out on the couch, close coming off as quick as could be. They were down to just their underwear when they heard a knock at the door. "Seriously?" Zoe said. "Let's just stay quiet. Maybe they'll think I'm not here." There was another knock, then a pause. Then a few seconds later another few knocks. "Zoe Hart, I know you're in there," they heard Lemon yell.

"I don't think she's going to go away," George told her.

"Just a minute. I'm coming," Zoe hollered. She and George both started grabbing for their clothes and threw them on, then she ran for the door. "What a pleasant surprise," Zoe said sarcastically as she opened the door for Lemon. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I know this situation is not ideal, but I need your help, Zoe."

"Why do you need my help?" she asked, crossing her arms in front of her.

Lemon just pushed herself in and went straight for the living room, where George Tucker was still shirtless. He quickly threw his shirt on at the sight of her inside. "Calm down. It's nothing I ain't seen before, George Tucker." She sat down in the empty chair. "It's actually probably best you're both here."

"What's this about, Lemon?" Zoe asked as she returned to her seat on the couch.

"Wade is a wreck. Normally, I wouldn't worry. He's Wade. But it's really starting to affect his work at the Rammer Jammer. He forgot to pay the electric bill that was due today, he's been coming in late and leaving early, and when he does decide to show up his work is sloppy at best."

"I'm sorry, Lemon, but what are we supposed to do about it?" George asked.

"I haven't gotten that far yet."

Zoe was obviously annoyed by this visit and was getting more impatient by the minute. "Then why are you here?"

"Well it's because the two of you that this is happening."

"The two of us? First of all, this thing between us only started three days ago, not that it's any of your business."

Lemon cut Zoe off before she even had the time to bring up her second point. "And this has been going on three days two long. I need my business partner back."

"This is your own fault!" George yelled. "If you could keep your mouth shut, then this wouldn't even be an issue."

"Look, I'm sorry I told him about the two of you. It wasn't my place, but he was already a mess over Zoe."

"So you just added fuel to the fire?" George asked. "That was a great idea, Lemon. I wish I'd thought about it, but I was too busy trying to avoid the whole town finding out about Zoe and I so this kind of thing didn't happen!"

"I'm not helping you. You're going to have to figure this out on your own," Zoe added.

"Oh great. So you two are going to let a friend in need suffer. Zoe, I know you're broken up now, but if you ever cared for him, you'd help him out since you get to be happy with George." Zoe looked down, a little disappointed in herself. "And you, George. Well you're even worse. You've been friends since you were in diapers. You're just going to watch him lose his newfound work ethic because you're dating his ex-girlfriend? Real good friend you are."

"How can we help, Lemon?" George finally asked, and the three started planning.

"You're unusually perky this morning," Lemon stated as she walked in on Wade whistling away as he bused tables. He was in his usual plaid shirt and jeans, but they looked oddly clean today, something Lemon hadn't seen in a while.

"I'm sorry. Did you want the old moping Wade back?"

"You know that's not what I meant. I'm just surprised to see you in such a good mood seeing as you only came into work for an hour yesterday and you sat in the back doing God only knows what for the majority of that time."

"I was having a bad day, Lemon. Everyone has 'em."

Lemon wanted to say more, but didn't want to push the subject any further. "I know things have been stressful around town lately, but the Rammer Jammer has been doing so well lately thanks to the months of hard work we've put into it." Lemon paused as she brushed out the wrinkles in her bright yellow dress, unable to get the next few words out she had planned on saying.

"And you don't want me to screw it up. I get it. Everything is fine."

"I was actually going to suggest that we…we celebrate." She sounded completely unsure of what she was saying and completely insincere.

"Celebrate?" Wade asked as he took the dirty dishes to the back and started putting them into the soapy water that was sitting there, Lemon following closely on his heels. "You sound just as thrilled about it as I am. Why are you even suggesting this? Did someone put you up to this?" he asked, looking around to see if anyone nearby was watching the two of them.

"What? No! Who would do that? I just think it would be nice for the two of us to get away from the Rammer Jammer for a night. Go waste some of our earnings on alcohol at a bar we don't own. The weekend will be busy, but Wanda is closing on Monday night. What do you say? We'll get our minds off of everything that's going on here."

"Like just the two of us?"

"Well why not?"

"Lemon, the only time the two of us are alone together is when we're doing something for the bar, and we're constantly at each other's throats. Why would I want to spend a night I have off with you?"

Lemon was trying to think quickly. She obviously hadn't thought this far ahead. "Well…that's exactly why! Don't you ever want to act civilized towards each other. We deserve a night off to not talk about work for once."

"Are you up to something?"

"Now why would I be up to something?"

"You're always up to something, Lemon."

"So what do you say?" Lemon put on her best puppy dog face. "It'll be fun, and we both need to get away from our exes for a while."

"Are you going to take now for an answer?"

"No I'm not."

Wade just sighed and rolled his eyes in response before Lemon enthusiastically clapped for having conned him into a night out.

Jonah peered over his laptop at Zoe, who was putting files away in the office. "So what's the fine doctor have planned for her Friday night?"

Zoe shook her head. "That's none of your business, Jonah. You realize personal questions are crossing the line?"

"Oh relax a little, would you? Or is it hard to because George Tucker can't take care of you?" Jonah smiled as he close his laptop. "I volunteered to be on call this weekend since Brick won't be back in town until Monday out of the goodness of my heart, so how about we go into town tonight. Maybe see a movie, get dinner."

"If we go into town, you wouldn't even be around to be on call. I don't even think I need to mention the other two reasons why I'm not going anywhere with you tonight?"

"Because you're afraid we'll have a good time and you haven't shaved your legs this week?"

"Because I find you repulsive and I have a boyfriend."

"And you know that it'll never last."

"Not that it's any of your business…" Zoe paused for a moment, "but why do you say that?"

"Do you really want to know?"

Zoe quickly shook her head. "No, of course not. I don't care what you or anyone else has to say about my relationship with George." She looked up at Jonah, who was now standing right beside her. You could see it in her eyes that she wanted to know.

"Well, you've made it clear that I have no business sticking my nose where it doesn't belong," he told her. They stood there, unmoving. He'd opened a can of worms, and Zoe wanted more. "Fine. You know why it'll never last? Because neither of you trust each other."

"That's not true," she snapped back in her well-known squeaky, upset voice.

"It's not? Then explain to me why we spent half of our lunch the other day talking about George and Tansy, and the other half about George thinking that you'd ran back to Wade after a whole day together?"

"That wasn't the point I was trying to make!"

"Then what exactly was?" he asked. They just stared at each other for a moment. She had no reply. She hadn't been trying to make a point. She had just been venting. Venting about their trust issues. "Maybe it's not the point you were trying to make, but it's the point you _did_ make."

"It's not like it sounds."

"Oh it's not? Good, because it sounds to me like you think George still has feelings for Tansy. I think you're justified in feeling that way. In fact, I think you may be right."

Zoe looked Jonah up and down, suspicious of him. He seemed liked he was hiding something. She knew he had to be up to something, and it probably involved getting her naked, but he was making a damn good point. "You do?"

"Of course I do. They just broke up. And you can't honestly tell me that you don't have an inkling of feelings left for Wade, even after everything you've been through."

"I don't."

"Don't lie to me, Zoe. Look, I'm not saying this to get you to break up with George or to sleep with me. I'm really not. I'm just being honest with you. If you truly think that you and George are 'meant to be' then go for it." He put quotation marks with his hands around the words "meant to be." "But I just think that you're rushing into things. Can I ask you one thing?"

Zoe rolled her eyes as she sat down, exhausted from her day and the attack on her relationship. "Will it stop you if I say no?"

"Absolutely not. Why are you and George just now getting together?"

"He was with Lemon when I first moved here. Then when they broke up we both needed a little time to think about things. Then I was with Wade, which started before I even knew George and Lemon had broken up. And he was with Tansy. We were always with other people. It just wasn't the right time."

"Yeah I know all of that. I mean the real reason."

"The real reason?"

"If you two are supposed to be together you wouldn't keep letting other people get in the way."

"But its—" she started, but was quickly cut off.

"You can make excuses all you want, Zoe, but you know I'm right." Jonah grabbed his coat and slid it on. "Now if you don't mind locking up, I'll be on my way. And if you change your mind, you've got my number." Jonah flashed her his million dollar smile as he walked out the front door. Zoe just sat there for a moment. She was in disbelief that Jonah had just unloaded like that. She didn't want it to get to her, but she was having second thoughts. Nothing he said was really that far off from the truth. Did they really have trust issues? Was it ever going to work out?

George lit a candle on his table as Zoe walked in. "I hope I'm not too early," she said.

"You could never be too early. You look beautiful," he told her as he met her at the entrance to the boat to give her a quick kiss. "The chicken should be ready in about five minutes. I hope you're hungry."

"Starving," she told him as she sat down at the table.

"Good. I wasn't sure if you would be since you were sick last night. Are you feeling any better?"

"I never…oh yeah. Lots better," Zoe told him.

George looked confused. "You sure you're okay, Zoe?"

"I'm fine George, really. I just had a long day at work yesterday and Jonah said that I should just spend the night resting. We had a lot of patients for a Friday."

"Okay. If you need anything, let me know," he told her as he grabbed dishes and set the table in front of her.

"You trust me, don't you?" she asked.

"Of course I do. Why do you even have to ask?"

Zoe shook her head as if she was shaking the thought completely out of her head. "Oh it's nothing. Jonah was just—"

"Putting thoughts in your head?" he interrupted.

"What?! No."

"Then what did he say?"

"Nothing. It was nothing, George. Don't worry about it."

He sat down at the table across from her and folded his hands on top of the table. He took a few seconds to get his bearings. "It's a little hard to not worry about when some guy that made it no secret he was interested in you starts dishing out relationship advice." They both sighed, almost simultaneously. "Why do we keep letting everyone else's unsolicited advice get to us?" he asked as he stood up from the table and ran his fingers through his hair, visibly upset at the situation they were in.

"I don't know, George. No one that's found out about us has had anything supportive to say yet," she paused for a minute, not sure she should even utter the next few words. "Can I just ask you one more question though, and then we'll drop it all?"

George turned around to face Zoe and placed his hands on his hips in a stern and abrasive way. "Yeah, fine. What do you want to ask?" He was obviously not thrilled at the prospect of being badgered more, and Zoe was able to quickly pick up on that.

"Never mind."

* * *

><p><strong>Thanks for reading! I'm open to suggestions of any kind and<strong>**_ love_**** feedback. The more reviews the quicker I'll get another chapter posted. I honestly am not even sure how I'm going to end this story yet, but my main goal is to keep everyone on their toes and to throw a surprise in there every once in a while, so keep reading! :)**


	7. The Accident

**Chapter 7: The Accident**

George and Zoe sat through a very awkward and very quiet dinner after their argument, and Zoe was quick to leave afterwards, saying that she should have probably spent another night resting as she was still feeling under the weather. He put up no fight to prevent her from leaving so soon. After their awkward conversation about trust, neither one of them really knew what to do. When she got back, she immediately went for ice cream in the freezer.

"I thought you had a date tonight," Lavon said as he grabbed a bowl and a spoon for himself so he could join her.

"I did have a date. We're already done." She just stared into her bowl of ice cream, obviously upset over what had happened on this date.

Lavon glanced down at his watch. "It's 6:30."

"Oh it's that late already. I better get to bed." Zoe stood up from her chair and grabbed her bowl of ice cream, getting ready to take it back to the carriage house with her.

"Hold it."

Zoe turned to Lavon. "What?"

"I'm probably going to regret asking you this, but what happened?"

"You don't really want to know. You're trying to stay out of everyone else's business, and I'm going to try to help you by not running to you every time I hit a little bump in the road."

"Zoe…"

"It's all Jonah's fault!" she exclaimed. Zoe sat back down in her chair and took a big bite of ice cream. "He put these stupid thoughts in my head and I got the idea somehow that George and I don't trust each other." She rested her elbow on the counter and her head on her hand while she used her free one to shovel in another big bite of ice cream.

"He put thoughts in your head?"

Zoe nodded. "Yeah. It's all Jonah's fault!" She took another big bite as she moped about her bad date.

"I know it's not Jonah's business to tell you that, but if it's been bothering you, is there any chance that there's a little truth behind it?" Zoe shot Lavon a look from the corner of her eye, unhappy that he would take Jonah's side. "You know what? You're right. It's not Lavon Hayes' business either, so he's just going to take his ice cream to go."

Zoe relaxed a little and let out a sigh. "You're just being a good friend, Lavon. And maybe there's a little tiny bit of truth behind what you're saying."

"There is?" Lavon wasn't surprised at the fact Jonah was right, but more at the way Zoe had come out and admitted it so quickly.

"Before Jonah said anything I was willing to brush the issue totally under the rug. But then he brought it up, and I got worried so I lied and cancelled our date last night. And my big mouth brought it up tonight and ruined the whole date. The only words we spoke to each other while we ate were 'pass the salt and pepper'."

"So you left on bad terms instead of talking about it?"

"I didn't know what to say, Lavon. I don't know how we're supposed to convince each other that we're over our exes."

"Did you ever just try telling him that?"

Zoe thought for a moment. "Not in so many words." Lavon looked at her, and his face said it all, like she was some sort of idiot who hadn't thought of the obvious. "Don't look at me like that Lavon."

"Why didn't you just try telling him that?"

"I thought it was just assumed. Obviously I wouldn't be with George unless I was over Wade."

"Obviously it's not assumed or you wouldn't have been eating ice cream by yourself on a Saturday night. Just explain to him that your exes are unavoidable, but you're over Wade and that George is the one you'll come running to for help from now on. I think it might mean a lot to him. And you never know, he may have something to tell you if you give him the chance. If you think it's so obvious between you and Wade, he might have been thinking the same about himself and Tansy."

Zoe took another big bite. "You think just telling him that will ease his doubts?"

"Well of course not. You're going to have to prove it to him too."

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Fine. You're right, Lavon. Happy?"

"I'll be happy when I stop getting drug into everyone else on this plantation's business."

Monday morning came and Zoe had failed to deal with her situation. She'd tried calling George once after talking with Lavon, but he didn't answer, so she took it as a sign and just stayed in for the rest of the night. By the time he called back, she was second guessing Lavon's advice, so she ignored the call after contemplating answering for a few seconds.

"Good morning, Dr. Hart," Jonah greeted Zoe, a big smile on his face, as she walked into the office.

"What are you doing here? It's Monday. Brick is supposed to be back."

"Someone is a little cranky. Are things a bit rocky with George?"

"If so, it's all your fault for filling my head with those lies about our trust issues." Zoe was huffing and puffing, and using every ounce of restraint she had in her body not to pummel Jonah.

"Whoa! I was kidding, but for the record, they weren't lies. I don't think you'd let it bother you this much if I had been lying." Jonah couldn't help but let a smirk grow across his face, seeing how upset Zoe was at the comments he'd made.

She completely ignored him, realizing that he had gotten her off track from the reason she'd been upset: he was in her practice. "You never answered my question. What are you even doing here, Jonah?"

"Relax. I'm just here to fill Brick in on a patient when he gets here. He's coming back for a follow up today and I just need to let Brick know what happened."

"Who?" Zoe asked, glancing around for a patient's file he may have left out.

"He's not your patient, so I don't believe that it's any of your business, Dr. Hart."

"This practice is half mine, so I believe that entitles me to this information."

Brick walked in before Jonah even had the time to respond. "Well good morning, Dr. Hart! It's a nice surprise to see you Jonah. I thought you would have been out of here Friday night as soon as you two closed up." Brick had a great big smile on his face. It was very out of character for him to look so happy at the sight of Zoe.

"What's wrong with you?" Zoe asked.

Jonah didn't give Brick the chance to answer her. "I offered to be on call this weekend. Zoe seemed a little stressed. That's actually why I'm here. I wanted to tell you about a patient that came in this weekend." They all stood there in silence for a moment.

"Well go ahead. What are you waiting for?"

"I actually thought we could talk in your office."

Brick nodded and led Jonah to his office. Zoe followed and tried listening from outside the door, but Jonah was no idiot. He was careful to keep his voice quiet so that Zoe couldn't hear. When she heard the voices stop she shuffled back to the front desk in her 5-inch heels, but it was obvious she'd been trying to listen in. Jonah emerged just a moment later.

"Did you hear whatever it was you wanted to?" he asked as Zoe casually scanned the nearest piece of paper. She looked up at the sound of his voice.

"Oh, were you talking to me? I was busy reading up on…" Zoe realized she wasn't even sure what she was looking at. She glanced down at the sheet of paper again, but Jonah quickly snatched it from her hands.

"The directions I printed off? I knew you were into me. You're going to follow me. How romantic!" Jonah laughed as he folded the paper and put it into his back pocket.

"Fine, I was listening in, but I didn't hear anything. Will you please just tell me? Why is it such a big deal that I can't find out?"

"Hey, Doc," Wade said as he approached the desk. He was moving slowly with one arm holding his ribs tight. He had around twenty stitches on his face near his hairline and a cast on his free arm.

"Well I guess I'll let him tell you," Jonah said. "It was nice to see you again, Zoe. You've got my number if you ever need to use it."

Zoe was too shocked at Wade's injuries to even listen to a word Jonah said. "What happened?"

"It's not as bad as it looks," he told her as he struggled to sit down. Zoe ran to his side to help him into one of the chairs in the waiting room. "I got a little banged up, that's all. In a few days I'll be as good as new."

"Wade, a little banged up is a bruise on your arm or a cut that requires a couple Band-Aids. You can barely move and you have more stitches in your head than I've done in the past year. And we can't forget about the huge cast on your arm."

"I just got into a little accident on Saturday night, that's all. Jonah said I'd be just fine in a few days here."

"Then why are you in here again so soon? Those stiches aren't ready to come out yet and that cast will be on your arm for weeks."

"He sent me to get a few shots done of my head to make sure that everything checked out. I'm fine, Zoe. Really."

"I'm ready for you whenever you are, Wade," Brick said when he appeared from outside of his office.

Zoe helped Wade back up from his chair and started to walk him towards Brick. "I've got this, Zoe, but thanks."

"This conversation is not over!" she hollered as he walked away.

Addy came running into the office. "I'm so sorry I'm late. We must have lost power last night and my alarm never went off." Addy set her coffee down and hung up her purse as she settled in. "I hope I didn't miss anything."

"You're fine, Addy. The only thing that you missed was my tore up ex-boyfriend."

"Wade's here already?" she asked.

"What do you mean already?"

"I mean I just thought he wasn't coming in until later today, that's all."

"You knew?"

"Who doesn't know about the accident?"

"What accident? Addy, I locked myself in for the past 36 hours. I have no clue what's going on."

Addy sighed. "Well, I'll tell you what I can. Wade was driving too fast on his way home from the Rammer Jammer on Saturday night. He claims he saw Burt Reynolds and swerved. He hit a tree going 45 miles an hour."

"Oh my God! Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"Didn't you just say you locked yourself in for the weekend? That may have something to do with it."

Zoe shook her head. "That's not important. Can I ask you something about the accident?"

"You can ask, but I'm not sure if I can answer it."

"You said he claimed that he saw Burt Reynolds and swerved. Do you not believe him?"

"Why don't you ask Wade? He's more likely to tell you what really happened than anyone else. He's the only one that really knows what happened out there."

"Addy, is there something you're not telling me? Do you know what happened?"

Addy contemplated for a moment whether or not she should say more. "Look, you've gotta promise me that you won't go telling anybody about this, okay?" Zoe nodded in agreement. "Bill was on duty Saturday night and had to go to the scene of the accident. When he got there, Wade was just wandering around, so drunk that he didn't even seem to notice his injuries at the time. He had a piece of glass sticking out of his arm when they found him."

"He was drunk?" Zoe asked, a little too loud.

"Shh. We don't need the whole town knowing. Like I said, you should ask Wade about what really happened. I shouldn't even be telling you what I know."

Zoe marched into the Rammer Jammer like she was on a mission. She scanned the room until she found Lavon sitting alone at the bar. "Is Wade working?"

"I don't think he'll be working for a few days. Did you hear about the accident he was in?"

"Yeah, I did. That's why I was looking for him. And thanks for telling me about it, Lavon. I thought we were friends."

"It's not my fault you didn't come out of your room all weekend!"

Lemon approached the two of them during their short conversation. "Zoe, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Fine." They stepped away from the bar to an area of tables no one was seated at.

"We've hit a little snag in our plan," Lemon whispered.

"I know. Wade can barely move off the couch, so he's not going to be able to go out with you."

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Forget about the plan. Wade was seriously injured."

"I need my partner!"

"Lemon, you're the master mind. Did you ever think this could be a good thing? He'll be completely out of your hair for a few days while you're recovering."

Lemon rolled her eyes. "As wonderful as that sounds, you've obviously never run a business before. I didn't want to get rid of him. I wanted him to stop moping and to make himself useful again. And now that he'll be sitting at home alone, it'll give him plenty of time to sit and think about you. This is the complete opposite of a good thing, Zoe. We need to fix this."

"What am I supposed to do? Is it my fault that he got into an accident?"

"I'm not blaming the accident on you. We just need a new plan."

"I don't have any ideas. I tried and it's not going to work out until he's in a good enough condition to go out. Knowing Wade, it probably won't take him that long."

"Zoe, I need Wade back. Now."

"Lemon, I don't have time for this. Just bring a girl to him or something if you can't take him out to meet one. I have to go." Zoe quickly left before she got stuck talking to anyone else. She wanted to get down to the bottom of the Wade situation, so when she got outside the Rammer Jammer she called him. "C'mon, Wade. Pick up your phone," she said as she walked to her car. "My lunch break isn't long enough to run around town trying to find you."

"It's Wade. Leave a message," she heard. She got into her car and drove back home, the only other place she'd have the time to look during her lunch. She knocked on his door, with no immediate answer. She knocked another couple times.

"I heard. I'm coming!" he hollered.

"I'm coming in!" she said back.

Wade was barely moving and Zoe quickly helped him back down onto the couch and laid him back.

"Wade, what happened to you? Addy told me about the car accident."

"There was something in the road and I swerved, Zoe. This stuff happens all the time. I don't see what the big deal is. I had a mild concussion. Jonah brought me home and stayed here on Saturday night to make sure I was okay and took me for more testing on Sunday. Brick said all the results came back fine. I'll be all clear by next weekend."

"Jonah did that?" Zoe asked.

"Well since the only other doctor that was in town that night was you, he didn't exactly have a choice."

"Wade, what really happened? I know that Burt Reynolds wasn't in the middle of the road that night," she said. She took a total stab in the dark, but she knew that something wasn't right judging from the story Addy had told her. "You were speeding down the road. You know better than that."

"It doesn't matter, Zoe," Wade said, raising his voice.

"Yes it does," she said, raising her voice to match his.

Wade was getting angrier. "Just drop it!"

"I know you were drunk!" she blurted out, looking a little surprised at herself. She hadn't intended on yelling the information out like that.

"What?" He was much quieter now.

"Wade, I know that you were drunk when you got into that accident. And I know that you're smarter than to do that. What am I missing here?"

"Zoe, drop it!"

"Tell me what happened, Wade."

"I was on my way to see you!" The second he let the words come out of his mouth, he realized he shouldn't have said anything at all. Zoe looked away from Wade, unsure of how to react. She knew that he wanted her back, but she didn't think that it would come to this. "I'm sorry, Zoe. I didn't want you to find out. It was a mistake, and if I could go back in time I wouldn't do any of it again."

"Any of it? How much more is there to tell?"

Wade sighed. He's said too much already, so he had to tell her everything. "After I closed up the Rammer Jammer on Saturday, I was just going to have one beer. One beer turned into a few more. I lost count and at some point ended up calling George."

"Oh no," Zoe whispered.

"I know I shouldn't have, but I wasn't in a good place. I told him that I was going to win you back. He seemed upset and said that you two weren't even getting along very well at the time, but I just knew that you had to be over at his place. He was trying to talk me down; he knew I was drunk, but I didn't listen. After a couple more beers I was confident in the fact that I needed to go over there to find you. Since I was here alone, there was no one to talk me out of it or drive me home, so I did what any drunk man would do and started speeding over to George's. I really did think I saw something in the road, Zoe. I didn't lie about that."

"Do you think I care if you lied about seeing something in the road? You think that's the most important part of this story?"

"I'm so sorry. It was completely out of line and it won't happen again."

Just then George emerged through the front door. "Seriously? Wade, you swore up and down you were sorry about what you said. But here you are with my girlfriend. And I guess I don't have to ask why you didn't call me back all weekend, Zoe. I left you like three messages."

"George, it's not what it looks like!" Zoe said, shooting up from the couch.

"Really? How do I keep finding you like this then?" George shook his head back and forth. "You two have fun together." He went out the front door as quickly as he'd come in with Zoe following on his heels. "George, wait!" He just continued onto his car, but was forced to face her when he got to his car door.

"I know I said I trusted you, and I meant it. But what am I supposed to think? You ran out on our date the second we finished eating and didn't talk to me for the rest of the weekend. Now I'm just supposed to believe you when I find you alone with Wade and you claim that there's nothing going on?"

"Yes, you are."

"What?"

"Yes, you are supposed to believe me. That's what couples are supposed to do. They're supposed to trust each other, like you said you trusted me. If you meant it, then you'd believe me."

George stood there a moment, speechless. "I need a little time to think, Zoe." He climbed into his truck and took off. By this point Wade had made it out to his doorstep.

"Thanks a lot," Zoe said sarcastically before getting into her own car.


	8. Not What It Looks Like

**Chapter 8: Not What It Looks Like**

"Is everything okay?" Addy asked a frazzled Zoe as she returned from her lunch break.

"No, not even close, but I have an appointment right now, so we'll have to talk later."

"Your one o'clock just cancelled. I'm all ears, Zoe."

"I asked Wade about what happened Saturday night. When he crashed his car he was on his way to steal me away from George."

"Oh no! Now why would he do that?"

Zoe paced behind the desk as she continued with her story. "I don't know, maybe because he was drunk. But that's not even the best part. Just as Wade was telling me that, George pops in. He had the greatest timing in the world, didn't he? He thought there was something going on between the two of us. He said he trusted me before, but now all of a sudden he needs time to think."

"He didn't!"

"Oh he did. What am I supposed to do, Addy?"

"Do you really want to know what I think?"

Zoe collapsed into an empty chair and looked up at Addy. "What?"

"If I were you, I'd give George a little time to cool off, but don't wait around for him to come to you. Go to him and explain what was happening. Tell him that from now on, your visits with Wade will be only if absolutely necessary. Cut back your time at the Rammer Jammer and try eating at different times than him at Lavon's."

"That's easier said than done. Wade is a little hard for me to completely cut out."

"I know that, but if you can just steer clear of him for a few weeks, George will realize that he has nothing to worry about and things can go back to normal."

"You really think so?"

"The man left his fiancé at the altar for you. You've got nothing to worry about, Zoe."

"Wade! Are you in there?" Lemon asked after knocking on his door a few times and getting no response.

"I'm coming, Lemon!" he yelled in response. She let herself in before he could make his way to the door. "I really wish you people wouldn't knock if you're just going to barge in. It's not easy for me to get up off the couch."

"Well maybe you should put a sign out front or something. I brought you some cookies." Lemon set a big plate of chocolate chip cookies on his coffee table and pulled back the saran wrap from it. "Don't they smell good?"

Wade eyed the cookies, but was reluctant in taking one. "What are these for? And why did you come over here?"

"I just wanted to see how you were doing and make you a little treat. You are my business partner after all."

"You sure you're not up to something?" Wade was tired of waiting. He grabbed a cookie from the plate and took a big bit, not caring if Lemon had an ulterior motive behind the kind gesture.

"When have I ever been up to something?" she asked. Wade scoffed at the remark. "Okay! We're swamped at the Rammer Jammer and I just wanted to see how bad the injuries were to know when you'd be back at work. It's not good for anybody for you to just sit around at home doing nothing all day."

"You think I want to just sit on my couch in pain all day? Trust me, there's a million other things I'd be doing if I could, but there's nothing much we can do about it now. I'm sure you guys can make it along just fine without me for a few days. And if there's any emergencies you have my phone number."

"So I take it we won't be celebrating any time soon?"

Wade shook his head. "Why are you so hell bent on celebrating? We never hang out outside of work. Why do you want to start now?"

"I just think we've earned it and need a night out to relax. Maybe it would even distract you from all of your injuries. Looks like tonight would be a little rough, but tomorrow if you're feeling better would you consider?"

"Yes, I'll consider." Wade was just saying it to get Lemon off his back. "Now get back to work. They don't need both of us out all day if the Rammer Jammer is as busy as you say it is."

"Okay. Is there anything else I can do for you, Wade?"

"Yes. Leave me alone so I can get better."

"What can I do for you, Zoe?" Brick asked without even looking up from his papers.

She looked all around her before responding. "How did you do that?"

"I can hear every step you take up the hallway with those heels," he said as he looked up. "Do you need something?"

"I was just wondering about the severity of Wade's injuries. I went to see him today but he acted like it was just a small scrape on his knee."

"Ah. I've been waiting all day for you to come ask about this."

"You have?"

Brick nodded. "He broke a few ribs and his arm. You obviously saw the stitches in his head. The worst of it was his concussion. I've been making sure he's had visitors stop in throughout the day. Jonah was pretty worried there was more damage, but Wade got off pretty lucky."

"Did Jonah say anything else?"

"Like the reason he didn't inform you of this earlier?" Brick asked, knowing what she was fishing for.

Zoe sat down in one of the chairs in front of Brick's desk. "I'm sure he had reason for not telling me, but I know now. Why was he trying to keep this from me?"

Brick sighed. "It's a good thing I'm in such a good mood today or I wouldn't care to give you any of this information."

"So you're going to tell me?"

"I don't want to get involved in any way, so you didn't hear this from me, but Jonah said Wade said a few things on Saturday night that you may not have appreciated."

"Like what?"

"Don't get angry, now. He was on strong painkillers. You know what those do to a person."

"Tell me what he said, Brick!" she commanded.

"Wade may have mentioned his plan to break you and George up. Jonah tried talking him down from it, but he was convinced he'd get you back." Brick let out a small laugh. "I mean, how crazy is that? You and George together!"

Zoe's "guilty" face quickly spread. "About that…" she trailed off.

"Wait, really? You and George Tucker are together?" Brick asked.

"I know this is awkward, all things considered, but can we maybe just forget this conversation ever happened?" she asked, flashing Brick a big smile. He just nodded in response, still in slight shock from all that he was learning about that happened during his absence. Zoe got up from the chair started making her way back to her own office before turning back around and walking back into Brick's office. "What has got you in such a good mood today?" she asked.

Brick smiled at Zoe, something she rarely saw. "Can't I be happy without their being a reason?" he asked.

"You can be, but you're not," she stated. She just grinned and shook her head as she left his office, not in a mood to waste her time prodding at whatever it was he was hiding from her. She walked back to her office, heels clicking the whole way. She organized a couple of things on her desk quick and grabbed her phone, placing a call to Jonah on her way out the front doors.

"I knew you couldn't resist," he joked when answering the phone.

"You know, I was actually calling to thank you, but I think you just reminded me of why I almost didn't call at all," she snapped back at Jonah.

"C'mon, Zoe. You know I was kidding. What were you going to thank me for?"

Zoe walked towards the Rammer Jammer as she continued talking. "Wade told me about the accident. The whole story, not just what he told the cops. Brick told me that after the fact you tried talking him down from his breakup rampage. I just wanted to say thank you, but I don't get it. Why did you do it if you think that George and I are so awful for each other?"

Jonah took a deep breath before explaining himself. "Maybe you and George are meant to be, and maybe you aren't. It's not really for me to decide. I'm sure the two of you will figure things out. I'm sorry that I ever said anything, Zoe."

"Wait a second. You, Jonah Breeland, are apologizing to me?"

"Ha ha. You're hilarious, Zoe. I know I may not say it very often, but I really am sorry. I'm done meddling in your relationships." Jonah continued talking, but Zoe was distracted by something she saw in the distance. She saw George outside of the Rammer Jammer talking to a blonde that could only be one person. Tansy. Then she saw them go in for a hug. While George had been giving her a hard time about Wade when nothing was going on, he had been making plans to see Tansy. "…and you won't see me around much anymore, Zoe, I promise."

"On second thought, are you free Friday night?" she asked.

"Uh, yeah, I guess. Why?" Jonah was confused by the 180 degree turn she'd made.

"Pick me up at 8. Don't be late," she said before quickly hanging up, not giving Jonah any time for questions. She picked up her walking pace so she could catch George before he got into his truck. He climbed inside before he'd even seen her, but she walked right in front of it as he was preparing to put it into gear.

"Zoe, what are you doing?" he hollered out of the window. She walked around to his door.

"Well I was going to grab us dinner and surprise you. I wanted to apologize for everything that's happened and tell you that I'm completely over Wade. That was until I saw you with your own ex. Is that why you accused me of having feelings for Wade? Because you've been sneaking around with Tansy all this time?"

George laughed. At first it was genuine, but then it became a nervous laugh. "You can't be serious." Her face had never looked more serious before.

"Do I like look I'm kidding?"

"Zoe, it's not what it looked like," he told her as he stepped back out of his truck.

Zoe just smiled. Not a kind smile, but a mischievous one, like she was going to make George pay. "So when I say Wade and I are just friends, it's okay for you to freak out, but when you claim that you and Tansy are just friends, I just have to believe you?"

"Do you really think if I was going to sneak around with Tansy that I would do it in a public place?" he asked.

"Well since no one in this town knows that you two are broken up or that we're now together, it makes perfect sense George. Maybe that's why you wanted to keep our relationship a secret. Was I the one you were sneaking around with?"

"What? No! Of course not! Do you really think I would do this to you, Zoe?"

Zoe looked down at the ground, not even able to hold George's stare. A tear started to run down her face. "It doesn't matter, George."

"Why not?" he asked as he took a step closer and rested a hand on her arm. She didn't answer. "Why doesn't it matter, Zoe?" His voice had gotten louder and people were now staring.

"Because everyone else is right. It doesn't even matter if neither of us have feelings for anyone else. We can't trust each other at all. We've constantly been fighting about the past. Do you ever think we'll be able to move on?"

George stood there for a moment, silent and unmoving. He thought about the question long and hard before responding. "I don't know, Zoe," he told her. He pulled her into a big hug as another tear rolled down her cheek. They stood there hugging long enough for everyone around them to start to get a little uncomfortable watching. That didn't keep them from doing it though. George finally let go of her.

"Maybe if you hadn't been with Lemon when I'd came to town this would have all worked out. Maybe if I'd never dated Wade things would be okay. I just don't think that the time will ever be right for us though."

"Are we breaking up?" George asked.

Zoe looked up at him with her big brown eyes. Without saying a word, they both knew their fate. Zoe nodded her head slowly and the two parted ways as the rest of the town watched in complete shock.

"How can they break up if they were never together?" Shula whispered to a group of women, to which they all shrugged in response.


End file.
